California Wildfire Burns 1,200 Acres, Shuts Highway

Charred bicycle parts stand in a makeshift encampment during the aftermath of a wildfire in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County, California, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015. Photo: REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon

UPDATE: 9 p.m. EST— The Ventura County wildfire now covers 1,238 acres and is 60 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Original story

A wildfire northwest of Los Angeles burned about 1,200 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said.

More than 600 firefighters battled the blaze in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County, California, and parts of U.S. Highway 101 were closed, county fire officials told a news conference.

No injuries have been reported, fire officials said. No structures have been damaged by the fire, but nearby Union Pacific rail lines were closed for a period and the fire still threatens to oil, gas and power lines.

The highway, a major roadway in the region, may reopen in the afternoon, fire and police officials said.

"Even if we do open up the roadways, it's still not a contained fire," Ventura County Fire Department Chief Norm Plott told reporters. "It's a very dynamic fire. We're not quite out of the woods yet."

As of 1 p.m. local time, the highway was still closed, but officials said it may be reopen soon. Traffic on a nearby state highway was bumper to bumper and moving slowly, a witness said.

The fire is less than 10 percent contained and it will take at least three days to get it under control, fire officials said. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Helicopters and fixed-wing tankers were helping to battle the blaze with water drops.

Fire officials had earlier reported that parts of the Pacific Coast Highway also were closed, but a fire department spokeswoman said only a portion that overlaps the 101 was closed. Ventura is about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The fire started at around 11 p.m. local time near Ventura, and strong winds as high as 50 miles per hour and dry vegetation caused it to grow rapidly, fire officials said.

At around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday in a video posted on Facebook, fire department Capt. Steve Kaufman said the fire was near the beach, "bumping up against the roadway. We're getting a bunch of embers in Solimar East."

The Solimar Beach community, with 50 to 60 homes, and a nearby campground were under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary one had been issued for the nearby Faria Beach community, where there are 30 to 40 homes, fire officials said.